Springfield bars, eateries told to begin renewals

SPRINGFIELD - Restaurant and bar owners are being urged to begin scheduling annual building code and fire inspections - required to renew liquor licenses - instead of waiting until receiving a renewal notice from the city, an official said.

"The message is, 'There is no need to wait,'" commission Chairman Peter L. Sygnator said Friday.

Typically, when proprietors get annual renewal applications in early November, what follows is a flurry of inspection-scheduling phone calls to meet the Nov. 30 deadline, he said.

"If you wait until November to schedule your inspection, you may find the inspection schedule already filled, placing the renewal of your license in jeopardy," he said.

About 200 establishments must get such inspections yearly.

Business owners who procrastinate can still arrange to get liquor licenses for the next calendar year, but missing the deadline makes that tougher. They must pay a $400 renewal fee that is otherwise unnecessary if a licensee renews on time.

The late-filers also must secure a place on a License Commission agenda for a December meeting. They have to hope the commission approves the renewal and then get approval by Dec. 31 from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which has more than 20,000 liquor licenses to regulate.

To schedule inspections, restaurant and bar managers can call the Building Code Enforcement Department at (413) 787-6031 and the Fire Department at (413) 787-6410.